ARABIC PROGRAM

ﺍﻠﻟﻐﺔ ﺍﻠﻌﺮﺒﻴﺔ

About Arabic

The Arabic language (Arabic: اللغة العربية‎  transliterated al-lughah al-‘Arabīyyah), or simply Arabic (Arabic: عربي‎ transliterated ‘Arabī), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. Arabic is the native langauge of over 250 million people in the Middle East (West Asia and North Africa and one of six official languages of the United Nations. It is also the language of an ancient civilisation, which has contributed to human knowledge. Arabic has been a literary language since at least the 6th century and is the liturgical language of Islam. Because of its liturgical role, Arabic has lent many words to other Islamic languages, akin to the role Latin has in Western European languages. During the Middle Ages, Arabic was also a major vehicle of culture, especially in science, mathematics and philosophy. Its influence is strongly felt on such languages as Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian and Maly among others. And many European languages still preserve hundreds of words from Arabic origin in various fields of knowledge. Arabic is also the living medium of a contemporary dynamic literature and culture. Its rich and magnificent poetry, classical and modern, is especially captivating.

About the Arabic Program

Arabic courses can be undertaken as single courses or as a major within the Bachelor of Arts degree or combined BA degree options, as well as within the Bachelor of Asian Studies or combined Asian Studies option. Arabic courses can also be included in the Centre's postgraduate coursework, and as an adjunct to research for MPhil and PhD.

Arabic major within the Bachelor of Arts

Students may take a language sequence of seven courses (42 units), which provides the language core for the major in Arabic and complements courses in Religious Studies as well as relevant courses in the Centre for Asian Societies and Histories, the Department of Linguistics and the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia).

Courses in Arabic use Modern Standard Arabic as the language of teaching

·                 First year Arabic assumes no previous knowledge of the language. It covers the Arabic script and sound system, basic grammar rules. The method of teaching is based on an audio-visual and audio-lingual approach, which is designed to develop the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in an integrated way through the use of dialogues in realistic situations, class interaction and oral and written drills. Grammar is explained in its functional aspect using basic structures of Arabic.

·                 Later courses cover more detailed presentation of functions of the language; oral syntax and morphology, reading of texts and writing compositions.

·                 In third year, students will have the opportunity to develop a number of conversational and written skills including proficiency in written structures of moderate complexity.

·                 Students who successfully complete their third year of Arabic may then undertake further Arabic studies which includes modern literary genres, classical poetry, religious and historical texts.

Requirements:

Three streams of Arabic language study are available depending on the prior studies of the student. The Arabic major in the Bachelor of Arts requires the completion of 42 units of study comprising of courses indicated in one of the streams below. The major must include ARAB3002 Advanced Arabic B, or equivalent, with permission of the course convener.

Beginners: The beginners’ stream is available to students who have little or no knowledge of Arabic. It is available at both first and second year level, although students intending to complete a major will need to commence their language study in their first year.

The beginners stream consists of:

§ ARAB1002 Introductory Arabic A

§ ARAB1003 Introductory Arabic B

§ ARAB2011 Intermediate Arabic A

§ ARAB2012 Intermediate Arabic B

§ ARAB3001 Advanced Arabic A

§ ARAB3002 Advanced Arabic B

§ Plus one ARAB elective course

The post-Beginners stream is usually only available to students who have obtained a pass in HSC Arabic, or its equivalent.

The Post-beginners stream consists of:

§         ARAB2011 Intermediate Arabic A

§         ARAB2012 Intermediate Arabic B

§         ARAB3001 Advanced Arabic A

§         ARAB3002 Advanced Arabic B

§         Plus three ARAB elective courses

The Advanced Arabic stream is only available to students whose level in Arabic is higher than HSC standard and who have passed a special placement test.

The Advanced stream consists of:

§       ARAB3001 Advanced Arabic A

§       ARAB3002 Advanced Arabic B

§       Plus five ARAB elective courses

ARAB Electives

·                 ARAB3003 An Introductory course to Arabic Linguistics

·              ARAB3004 Research Essay (Arabic  )

·                 ARAB3005 An Introductory course to Arabic Literature

·                 ARAB3006 Special Topics in Arabic

·                 ARAB3007 Directed Study Project (Arabic)

·                 ARAB2010 Applied Arabic

The Centre determines the language stream in which a student is to enrol, regardless of whether the Arabic major is within the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Asian Studies . Placement is based on HSC results or its equivalent, an evaluation of students’ prior exposure to Arabic, academic transcripts, or a placement test.

Stream enrolment remains provisional until confirmed or, alternatively, altered according to the student's needs as determined by the Centre during the first two weeks of teaching. As far as possible, the Centre will notify students of any changes to their stream during the first two weeks of semester. Where a change is made in the third or fourth week of semester it will be reported to the Sub Dean (Academic Programs).

Arabic Major within the Bachelor of Asian Studies

Diploma of Asian Studies (Arabic)

Bachelor of Asian Studies (specialising in Arabic)

Administration: Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies (Faculty of Arts) in collaboration with the South and West Asia Centre (Faculty of Asian Studies).

Students taking Arabic as an Asian language Major must complete an agreed sequence of eight courses (48 units).

Requirements

The Arabic major in the Bachelor of Asian consists of the same three streams and courses as those of Bachelor of Arts explained above.

Further information about the Arabic program can be obtained from:

Dr Ali Aldahesh

Arabic Program Convener

Room 1.02, Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies

Bldg 127, Ellery Crescent, ANU

Ph: 6125 5483    Fax: 6125 5410

Email: Ali.Aldahesh@anu.edu.au

http://arts.anu.edu.au/cais/

or

The Centre Administrator

Room 2.09, Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies,

Bldg 127, Ellery Crescent, ANU

Ph: 6125 4982    Fax: 6125 5410

Email: CAIS@anu.edu.au